Guest satsumargirl Posted April 20, 2005 Report Share Posted April 20, 2005 Hi Everyone, Well this long wait until May 31st has had me evaluating my life and whether medicine is REALLY what I want. Everyone talks about the good things about medicine and/or med school. I am wondering if there are any current students/grads who may shed some light on the cons of med school...and if you are working, the cons of professional life. I currently already have a career. It is a comfortable life, I have lots of free time, and I get to help people in my work. I have strong reasons for wanting to make the leap to medicine. However, I would also be giving up alot, and I am someone who's always strived for balance in my life. So can anyone list the negatives? Do you feel the positives outweigh the negatives? Does anyone regret chosing to go to med school? Is there anyone here who chose to go back to school after working a few years? Was it a big adjustment? Thanks for any replies. I am trying to make the best informed decision I can. I guess the biggest fear I have at this point is lack of income (oh my God I'll be living off a line of credit the size of a mortgage!) and lack of free time. I want to be happy and feel fulfilled with my career, but I do want time for friends, family, maybe have a family of my own. As I've grown a bit older I realize that work is not more important than the people in your life. How do you feel medicine is in terms of keeping balance in your life? Thanks Sats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest anony27 Posted April 20, 2005 Report Share Posted April 20, 2005 Hi Sats, I have been watching this board for a while now, but keeping rather quiet... however, reading your post has made me come out of hiding. I have a *very similar* story to yours. I currently have a graduate degree, a career, and I am comfortably settled into this life. As you say - I value the time I have for other pursuits, for friends and family, and I have been carefully considering what going to medical school would do to all of that, as well as its potential impact on my (eventual) plans to start a family of my own. My thoughts have echoed exactly what you say in your post - that while I have good reasons for wanting to make the jump to medicine, I recognize that it would be giving up a lot. I have considered all of the things you mention: loss of income, impact on my current relationship (being available to one's partner is important in a relationship, and medical school would have a big effect on that), change of lifestyle, etc., etc., It had been my plan all along that after the interview, I would spend the intervening 2 months thinking more carefully about this and talking to people to help me make that decision. The part I didn't expect however, was how painful that process might be... that is, after 2 months of really considering it, say I am truly convinced that yes, medicine would be worth the sacrifice for me, but then I find out that I didn't get in... how will I cope with this? This unexpected kink in my plans has made it more difficult for me to actually engage with others, and truly give thought to just the question you ask. So, while I can't help you with specifically what you asked for in your post - a perspective from a current med student who has made such a choice - I can at least sympathize... I too am facing that decision. PS. This past weekend I finally did bring myself to ask an acquaintance, who is currently a physician, whether he would do it all again? He said to me: there was a time when he said no, but as of now, he says he would do it again... I found this somewhat comforting, but on the other hand, he was in a different position than I am / we are today - he was much younger when he began. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest satsumargirl Posted April 26, 2005 Report Share Posted April 26, 2005 Thanks for empathizing Anony27 I just found this release on the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons website. It did a huge survey of MDs accross Canada in 2004. Less than 2/3 of physicians in Ontario were satisfied with their professional life. And only 53% of MDs accross Canada (those surveyed) were happy with the balance between their personal and professional life. rcpsc.medical.org/publicp...ease_e.pdf This is getting me thinking....so I make the sacrifices to go back to school and I have approximately a 50/50 chance of being satisfied with the balance I have in my life. And less than 2/3 chance of even being happy with my professional life! It's not really convincing me the leap is worth it! Although I realize it is a very personal decision. I do know that when I talk to most of my resident and med student friends, they love medicine. But when I talk to someone who's been out working for a few years, some have said they wouldn't do it again and most are not nearly as enthusiastic as the recent grads and current students. I am having this nagging feeling that going to med school is one of those....be careful what you wish for, situations. But who knows. I could also be blissfully happy! I asked this question in the general med school section FYI. Thought there may be more feedback there. Anyway, good luck with your decision! Sats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FrenchyMed Posted April 26, 2005 Report Share Posted April 26, 2005 I left a career to take the plunge into medicine. I hold a bachelor and a master's degree. I had been working for almost 3 years. I had tons of free time (nights and weekends), a good salary, a car, a great apartment... When school started last September, it was tough. I was less than enthusiastic about getting back to the study mode. I love medicine and am totally fascinated by the subject matter but having to memorize tons of stuff was hard :x . I come from an engineering background where most exams were open-book. For the first couple months of school, I was stressed out about the climbing debt but I eventually came to terms with the inevitable... Stick to a budget, but enjoy life! I am more careful about my spending habits, but I have allowed myself a few extras, namely a few pairs of shoes and a trip to Europe this summer. I opted not to work this summer and I'm okay with that. Might as well enjoy the last few summer of freedom... Another hurdle was the age difference. Although I consider myself fairly immature for my age , the 6-year difference between myself and most of my schoolmates was fairly obvious... It's sometimes hard to deal with people who constantly complain about their lack of free time when they face the same workload as yourself but live at home with mom and dad doing everything for them (cooking, cleaning, laundry, groceries...). Sometimes, I find that medschool is like high school. Bickering, rumours, people trying to impress you by bragging about how many beers they drank last night or how much pot they smoked over the weekend... :rolleyes The good thing about having worked for a while is the level of maturity attained and peopleskills you have developed. You'd be amazed at how little peopleskills some students have. Having experienced more than school and summer jobs is a big plus in my opinion. Overall, I'm certain I have made the right decision. I can totally see myself doing this kinda stuff until I retire. Don't worry, as May 31st approached, I doubted my decision more and more. Med school jitters I guess. Forget about the money, the pressure, the long nights studying... Make sure that medicine is something you will enjoy in the long run. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mm201 Posted April 27, 2005 Report Share Posted April 27, 2005 I just want to add another perspective. I am approaching 30. I am married. I had a pretty promising carrier in California. We were just about ready to buy a house. I liked my work (was not passionate about it though) and I had a very enjoyable routine outside of work. I expect to break even financially in about 20 years (maybe a little earlier or a little later depending on what type of medicine I choose to practice). Despite all this quitting my job was a pretty easy decision; it was as if someone took a load off my shoulders. I believe that your work is probably the most important thing you do in life. You spend more time working than you do doing anything else. You must love it and if you do it gives you more energy than you put into it. I would never settle for a career where when I get up in the morning I am looking forward to the things I will be doing after work more than I am looking forward to my work. If it were the case I would make the things I do in my ‘free’ time my career. During my work I have met people who loved their work. Coincidentally they all had very satisfying personal lives. I have also met people for whom their work was just a job to make some dough and ‘enjoy’ their lives outside of work. Sadly their personal lives where also filled with bitterness. No matter how hard you try it is impossible to draw a line between different areas of your life. I am talking about people in their late 30s and above; younger people can enjoy just making money to have a ‘life’ outside of work. If I was choosing a career and was worried if this career would give me enough time for a balanced live, it would certainly make me pose. In August, I will be starting medicine at McGill and I am looking forward to it even though I do not expect to have much ‘free’ time. Then again if you do something you love there is not such thing as ‘free’ time because you are always doing what you want to do. Good luck with your choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ttryit Posted April 27, 2005 Report Share Posted April 27, 2005 mm, thanks for your very sincere and helpful post! tt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wattyjl Posted April 27, 2005 Report Share Posted April 27, 2005 I believe that your work is probably the most important thing you do in life. does this include being part of a family (as a couple or with children)? do you live to work or work to live? personally i don't really care about money, cars, lots of free time, etc., but my main concern is how a career medicine could potentially affect my relationship and ability to start a family. in my opinion (and we're all different here) that's going to be the most important and substantial part of my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest caliente Posted April 27, 2005 Report Share Posted April 27, 2005 NOTE: I am not yet a medical student, so take what I say with a pillar of salt (I know I do!) Interesting discussion going on here. Of course, there are no "answers" as personal preference dictates all. I could never "love" my work. There are definitely jobs I would enjoy more, but I could never be completely passionate about my career/job. For me, work is work is work - a job, by definition, includes things I don't want to do. In life, these things would be chalked up as part of the overall "experience", but at work, I'd call them expletives. I definitely work to live but recognize some jobs are more suited to my personality. Some of the posters are obviously passionate about their career choices and it is wonderful to have people like this. However, it is important to understand your personality. I will NEVER find work I'd be passionate about because I'm a contrary person, so my goal is not to find an absolute idea, but rather a suitable career. Medicine may not even be "best", but I am satisfied with my choice to apply and feel I will be able to accept the consequences of my choice without too much regret in the future should things go downhill. Basically, I don't mind settling in this area of my life. Also, I am not looking for my career to be personally fulfilling. I will settle for being satisfied. The good thing about medicine is that it is flexible: people can definitely be satisfied by their work as doctors, but it also has the potential to be truly fulfilling if you want it to be. Although I'm sure people will disagree, I don't think this necessarily makes you a worse or better doctor either way. I would be willing to stop practicing as a doctor if a) I didn't need the income, and found something "better" to do like open a business, take care of potential children, get married...if for some reason I couldn't work. I don't think I need a career to be fulfilled in life. Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. I've tried to understand myself and come to terms with what being a doctor means. Even though I'm young, I already know you can plan, plan, plan...to no avail sometimes. However, I can only use what I know now to guide my decisions. I think I've done the best I can...and now it's time to cast the die to see what happens! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shy Posted April 27, 2005 Report Share Posted April 27, 2005 This is in response to the first post about doctors being unhappy with their jobs. I dont think this is a reason to be worried about pursuing medicine if that is what you are interested in. I think in any career/job you will find "53%" or "2/3" of people who say they are unsatisfied or unhappy. Your job is what you make of it and medicine is a field with such a variety of opportunities that if you have the motivation you can make it work with your life. All the people I know that are happy in their careers have made a conscious decision to be that way and made the effort to make their job what they want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wattyjl Posted April 27, 2005 Report Share Posted April 27, 2005 it should also be noted that the question was not: "are you unhappy with your career?", but more along the lines of "are you satisfied with the balance between your personal and professional life?" those are very very different questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mm201 Posted April 27, 2005 Report Share Posted April 27, 2005 does this include being part of a family (as a couple or with children)? do you live to work or work to live? Maybe I did not express it clearly enough; I believe that you cannot draw a line between your personal life and your professional life. There is just life. If you are not satisfied with your work you will bring those negative feelings into your family life. The converse is also true. If you enjoy your work, you will share the positive energy with your family. A key to having a long term fulfilling personal life is to have a fulfilling professional life. If you think that you work to live you are in for an unpleasant surprise in your forties or fifties. If you live to work you are also in for unpleasant surprise later on in life. "are you unhappy with your career?" and "are you satisfied with the balance between your personal and professional life?" are different questions only if you look at your personal life and your professional life as separate from each other and you somehow need to find a balance between two posing forces. They are not opposing but rather they nourish each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tim23 Posted April 27, 2005 Report Share Posted April 27, 2005 in regards to your poll, do you know if that was for all doctors or just GP's? I think that there would be huge differences within medicine in terms of job satisfaction, the way the system is setup right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wattyjl Posted April 27, 2005 Report Share Posted April 27, 2005 mm201 - interesting viewpoint, i'm glad you elaborated on it. thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest satsumargirl Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Thanks to everyone who responded. These were helpful insights and food for thought. I guess I will have to wait until May 31st and see how I feel then. I suppose it is up to each individual to create balance in their lives. I guess I am having a hard time with the thought of "delaying gratification" for so many more years. I feel like I already did that and it's time for me to enjoy the rewards...not go back for more punishment! But in the end I think I may be happier, so I'll just have to suck it up and deal with it! Good luck to all with your decisions. Sats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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